National Rally For Deaf Rights May 4

National Rally for Deaf Rights is9 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 4, at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, hosted by Deaf Grassroots Movement-New Mexico.

At the same time at all state capitols across the United States, the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind people will gather to rally for civil rights for Deaf, Hard ofHearing and DeafBlind people. The Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind people, family, friends and allies will stand together to raise awareness of the many issues that continue to plague the Deaf community: oppression of American Sign Language as language of instruction for Deaf children, ongoing denial of employment opportunities, opportunities for advancement and discrimination in the workplace.

Deaf people are denied equal communication access or receive inadequate or inappropriate accommodation in hospitals and doctors’ offices of which equal access is mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Deaf people also do not receive equal access to public services for seniors, for children, and for those with additional disabilities.

The quality of education for Deaf children is, and has been for more than 100 years, abysmal compared to the quality of education the children are not deaf receive. These are the issues that each Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind American faces every single day.

The Deaf Grassroots Movement (DGM) sprouted following the Deaf ProtestSeptember 5th and 6th, 2015, at the White House in Washington, D.C. Similarly, this rally is to raise awareness and call to action the Deaf community and our allies to fight inequality, discrimination and oppression.